Jay GreesonMan, we are a biking mecca.
Now we have bike paths that connect Chattanooga to Atlanta, using a chunk of the famous Silver Comet Trail to do so.
Hold your coffee mug tight; I think this is cool.
The plan is to extend U.S. Biking Route 21 all the way to Cleveland, Ohio.
The public expense of this idea is minimal because it is using present-day trails and country roads.
Plus, we're really happy the Bicycle Gangs already have this in place rather than fighting national laws and petitioning a 3-foot lane on Interstate 75.
School Daze, Part I
OK, in addition to the countless frustrations and never-ending levels of bureaucracy school systems in this country have to manage, now we have another level of boneheadedness.
Meet Joe Kennedy, an assistant high school football coach in Washington state. Coach Joe has been taking a knee and saying a silent prayer after every football game since 2008. He has not asked a single person to join him. He does it so innocuously that the school board did not know about his practice until earlier this season.
The school board told him to quit, and he did briefly. He resumed saying a postgame silent prayer because he wanted to show his students, as he told The Associated Press, "If you believe in something, you stand up."
Kennedy has been suspended, and the entire Bremerton School District finds itself at ground zero in the debate on religion in schools.
A group of students, including the senior class president, who describe themselves as Satanists filed the original complaint with the school board.
Wow. The wishes of self-described Satanists are honored over a veteran coach saying a silent prayer. And we wonder why we are losing the youth of America.
School Daze, Part II
OK, now meet Ann Marie Corgill, a one-time Alabama Teacher of the Year. Pretty cool, right?
Well, sadly, she resigned last week because after being transferred before the year began and then being moved from second grade to fifth a few weeks ago, she was told she would have to go through another round of accreditation.
Yes, after 21 years of decorated service - and being moved by her superiors - she was put in a position to go through another series of tests and seminars even though she holds a National Board certification valid through 2020 to teach kids ages 7-12.
"After 21 years of teaching in grades 1-6, I have no answers as to why this is a problem now, so instead of paying more fees, taking more tests and proving once again that I am qualified to teach, I am resigning," Corgill wrote in her resignation letter.
While we scratch our heads on how to remove ineffective teachers who are tenured, it's awful that we can't keep the truly excellent educators.
School Daze, Part III
We're still not done and we keep getting closer to home.
Meet Jerry Denham, a professional photographer whose daughter is a cheerleader at Sequoyah High School in Madisonville, Tenn.
Denham was told by the Sequoyah administration that he could no longer take photos of games or action - including his own daughter - because it violates a contract with a photography company the school uses.
It's enough to make your head hurt and your heart ache.
Political passes and punts
Not sure you saw this, but two of our state legislators are going to take the football field today as UTC celebrates its homecoming.
Before the 2 p.m. kickoff against Western Carolina at Finley Stadium, state Sens. Todd Gardenhire and Bo Watson will go at it in some good-natured competition.
Gardenhire and Watson's GOP punt, pass and kick event will be interesting to see, and we use interesting in the most interesting way possible.
Good for those guys, especially since UTC's homecoming deserves all the extra attention it can get.
And who knows, maybe we can still get Chattem to help sponsor the event. No, we're not talking cash - just bring all the IcyHot and Gold Bond powder you can carry to Finley this afternoon.
Saying good-bye
Sad day in the world of bulldogs as Tillman, the skateboarding pooch who became a YouTube sensation, died this week.
He was 10.
He brought smiles to countless faces with the video clips of his skateboarding antics.
Make no bones about it, he will be missed.
But he had a good roll.
Contact Jay Greeson at jgreeson@timesfreepress.com. His "Right to the Point" column appears on A2 on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.